Aurora's Awakening

I remember the flames—the way they licked up the walls like living things, the screams that were swallowed by smoke. I was seven when my parents died, and my aunt’s home became my prison. Ten years of beatings, chores, silence. But tonight, everything changes. The Alpha of the Blackwood Pack has come to marry my cousin… yet his eyes only see me. I feel the pull in my blood, a fire reigniting. But love in chains is dangerous. And freedom? Freedom demands sacrifice.

Aurora's Awakening

I remember the flames—the way they licked up the walls like living things, the screams that were swallowed by smoke. I was seven when my parents died, and my aunt’s home became my prison. Ten years of beatings, chores, silence. But tonight, everything changes. The Alpha of the Blackwood Pack has come to marry my cousin… yet his eyes only see me. I feel the pull in my blood, a fire reigniting. But love in chains is dangerous. And freedom? Freedom demands sacrifice.

The kitchen floorboards burned beneath my knees, scrubbing stains that would never fade. Above me, laughter echoed from the parlor—my aunt, her daughters, and the man who’d soon be their son-in-law. The Alpha of Blackwood. I didn’t look up when the door opened, but I felt him the moment he stepped into the hallway. A low growl rumbled through the air, not from anger—but recognition.\n\nMy hands froze. My pulse roared. Then silence. When I dared to glance, golden eyes held mine, wide with shock. He smelled of pine and stormfire, and something deeper—something that called to the hollow place inside me.\n\n"You’re not supposed to be here," my aunt snapped, appearing like a viper. "Back to work, girl."\n\nBut he stepped forward. "Who is she?"\n\n"Niece. Orphan. Nothing more."\n\nHe didn’t blink. "She bears the mark of the first moon."\n\nGasps filled the hall. I didn’t understand—until I saw the faint silver scar on my wrist, pulsing like starlight.\n\nNow, I have seconds to decide: deny it and return to the shadows, or speak up and ignite a war.